1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital video recording apparatus and an editing method for recorded broadcast programs, and more particularly, to a digital video recording apparatus and an editing method for recorded broadcast programs which are capable of easily editing recorded programs.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Personal video recorders (PVRs) and digital video recorders (DVRs) are products developed to record digital media. A storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) is internally equipped in such recorders. Since such recorders can record a broadcast program after digitizing the broadcast program, there is no degradation in picture quality when the recorded broadcast program is played back. Also, since the recorders have a time shift function or a playback function, it is possible to play back the recorded broadcast program whenever the user desires to view the recorded broadcast program.
Hereinafter, such a recorder is referred to as a digital broadcast recorder which can store a broadcast program after digitizing the broadcast program, and can play back the stored program in accordance with a time shift function or a playback function.
Digital broadcast recorders, which are currently available, are internally equipped with a large-capacity storage device capable of recording a large amount of HD-grade programs or SD-grade programs corresponding to a playback amount of several tens of hours. Traditional tape recorders such as video tape recorders (VTRs) have various problems generated during recording of data on a recording tape and reproduction of the recorded data in association with the recording and reproduction quality of the data due to defects of the recording tape or a VTR header. In digital broadcast recorders, however, there is no degradation in picture quality when a recorded broadcast program is played back. This is because the broadcast program is recorded in the form of a digitalized broadcast stream.
Recording of multimedia in a digital recorder may be carried out in diverse modes. For example, there is a method in which the user selects an immediate recording function of the digital recorder. Hereinafter, this method will be referred to as an “immediate-recording mode”.
Also, there is an “automatic reserved-recording method” in which a program is automatically reserved-recorded, based on the time information of the program obtained from broadcast information such as an electronic program guide (EPG). Hereinafter, this method will be referred to as an “automatic reserved-recording mode”.
Another method is a “manual reserved-recording” method in which the user manually inputs a reserved-recording time in order to enable reserved-recording of a program at the reserved-recording time. Hereinafter, this method will be referred to as a “manual reserved-recording mode”.
Of the above-mentioned modes, the “automatic reserved-recording mode” would be most convenient. In the automatic reserved-recording mode, however, it is necessary to previously obtain broadcast information using an EPG. Generally, broadcast information, which is included in a broadcast stream, is supplied in an amount of only about one week, even though the amount of broadcast information depends on the broadcast transmission system used to transmit the broadcast stream. For this reason, the “immediate-recording mode” or “manual reserved-recording” mode is mainly used.
In the “manual reserved-recording” mode, a broadcast program is recorded based on broadcast schedule time information. In this case, however, it is necessary to input, to the digital broadcast recorder, a desired reserved-recording time identified from the broadcast schedule time information which may be obtained from a newspaper or on the Internet. Furthermore, a broadcast program other than a desired broadcast program may be recorded when the broadcast schedule time information is incorrect.
Also, if the user cannot identify a correct broadcasting time of a broadcast program to be reserved-recorded, the reserved-recording time span for the broadcast program must be sufficiently lengthened in order to secure the broadcasting time span of the broadcast program to be within the lengthened reserved-recording time span. In this case, the user must subsequently edit the recorded data to delete an unnecessary portion of the recorded data while maintaining the program desired to be recorded.
A substantial time is taken to perform the editing procedure even though the time depends on the skill of the user. In addition, the user may erroneously delete a portion of the broadcast program which the user desires to view.